Incat

Incat Tasmania is a manufacturer of high-speed craft (HSC) catamaran ferries. Its greatest success has been with large, sea going passenger and vehicle ferries, but it has also built military transports and since 2015 it has built smaller river and bay ferries. Based in Derwent Park, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, it was founded by Bob Clifford.

Incat
IndustryShipbuilding
Founded1977
FounderBob Clifford
Headquarters
ProductsWave-piercing catamarans
OwnerBob Clifford
Websitewww.incat.com.au

The company builds vessels using aluminium construction, wave-piercing and water-jet technology. Vessels have been constructed up to 130 metres in length with a size of 13,000 gross tons and with cruising speeds of up to 58 knots (107 km/h).

Company history

Incat's Hobart Shipyard (to the right)
The 99m wave piercing catamaran HSC Francisco, delivered by Incat in 2013: the world's fastest ship in commercial service

The company began in the 1970s as the Sullivans Cove Ferry Company in suburban Hobart and built four small ferries before International Catamarans was formed in 1977 by a partnership between founder Bob Clifford and marine architect Philip Hercus. This partnership created plans for what was probably the first large wave piercing catamaran in the world. However the partnership was dissolved in 1988 with Clifford remaining in Hobart trading as Incat Tasmania while Hercus returned to Sydney to establish 'Incat Designs (Sydney),' a design only company that became Incat Crowther after a merger in 2005. Incat Crowther has no association with Incat Tasmania and its ships are built by other companies. Incat Tasmania has its own in house design company, Revolution Design.

In 1989 Incat Tasmania moved to its present location on Prince of Wales Bay which allowed it to build larger ships and in 1990 Incat delivered its first 74-metre fast catamaran ferry. At the same time, several other companies also began to build large aluminium vehicle carrying ferries. This new type of ship was revolutionary and over the next decade fast cats replaced most hydrofoil and hovercraft services as well as many monohull ferries. The success of this new type of ferry led to other ship builders around the world using their yards to build large vehicle carrying aluminium catamarans. However many ferry operators preferred traditional monohull designs and the limited market for fast cats became crowded with manufacturers bidding low to keep their shipyards working.

After the inevitable collapse of the industry, two builders of large catamaran ferries survived, Incat and its Perth based rival Austal. However Incat had needed to downsize and after a brief stint in receivership, the company continued building ferries and developing larger and more efficient designs. With diversification into smaller bay ferries in 2015 and the recovery of the market for large vehicle carrying ferries, Incat Tasmania's workforce expanded rapidly from 2015.

Products

Large wave piercing passenger and vehicle ferries

In 1990 Incat was one of the pioneers of large, fast catamaran ferries and they have been its core product ever since. The type of ship was different to earlier ferries and its instant success led to Incat becoming a major player in the industry. Over the years innovation has led to the ships becoming bigger, faster, more fuel efficient and much more stable on rough seas. Vehicle decks are often movable to make way for high trucks or extra cars.

Ships in this category have been built from 74 to 130 metres long and from 3,000 to 13,000 gross tons. The 99-metre Francisco (Hull 069) is the world's fastest ship in commercial service and can achieve speeds up to 58 knots (107 kmh).

Smaller passenger ferries

Incat began by building small ferries under 37 metres, but from 1990 it concentrated on larger vehicle carrying catamarans. However, in 2015 the company resumed building smaller ferries and in that year it delivered river ferries for operation in London, Hobart and Sydney. Since then it has designed and built more smaller ferries including two 35-metre, 400 passenger ferries (hulls 090 and 095) for commuter runs by Port Phillip Ferries from Melbourne Docklands to Portarlington and Geelong.

Military vessels

HSV-X1 near Crete

In the 1990s several catamarans built by Incat entered naval service as fast transports, including HMAS Jervis Bay with the Royal Australian Navy and HSV-X1Joint Venture, Spearhead and HSV-2 Swift, which served with the United States Armed Forces.

K Class

In the mid 1990s Incat built three K class ferries. They are 70 to 80 metres long, low profile passenger vessels without wave piercing bows or the distinctive centre bow that characterise all other larger Incat ferries. Two were built by Incat in Hobart and a third was built by a Chinese partner. Plans for further Chinese built K Class ferries did not eventuate and Hull NF08 remains the only Incat vessel not built in Hobart.

Oil rig tender

Most offshore oil rigs are exposed to rough open seas with crew transfers by helicopter and freight needs served by platform supply vessels. However Azerbaijan's offshore oil rigs are in the calmer waters of the Caspian Sea, the world's largest lake, so crew transfers can be comfortably and more economically undertaken by water. Several fast catamarans have been built to transfer both crews and cargo for this market including Incat Hull 074 Muslim Magomayev delivered in 2015.[1] The size of catamarans that can be built for this niche market is restricted by the 16.5-metre width of locks on the Volga-Don Canal that connects the Caspian Sea with the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Brooke Street Pier

From 1990 Incat had almost exclusively built large catamarans, but this changed in 2014 when the company diversified into something that was not even a ship, although it did float. An earlier Brooke Street Pier ferry terminal on Hobart's waterfront needed replacement and Incat was commissioned to build an 80 x 20-metre floating pontoon. Hull 077 was towed 8 km from Incat's shipyard to Sullivans Cove before finishing work was done on site. In addition to ferry berths, the pier hosts a restaurant, a cafe and a number of stalls.

Luxury super yachts

The market for opulent motor yachts has grown rapidly this century and while the market is mostly for monohull vessels, catamarans are beginning to make inroads. Incat has released several designs ranging from 80 to 112 metres which are shown on their website,[2] but so far there have been no orders.

Deliveries

In its early years Incat built smaller boats and ferries with little to distinguish it from other boat yards except for a willingness to experiment and innovate. But the revolutionary Hull 023 completed in 1990 was quite different and was the first of the type of ferry that Incat is best known for today with its large capacity, high speed, wave piercing hulls and distinctive centre bow. As one of the first large aluminium vehicle carrying catamarans in the world, it contributed to the big changes in the ferry industry that occurred in the 1990s.

ImageHull NoLength / ClassGross TonnageDeliveredLatest nameOperatorNotes
N/A
001
18m Cat
.
1977
Jeremiah Ryan
Unknown
[3]
N/A
002
18m Cat
.
1979
James Kelly
Unknown
[3]
N/A
003
??m Cat
.
1980
A. K. Ward
Derwent Sailing Squadron
[3]
N/A
004
20m Cat
.
1981
Fitzroy
Unknown
[3]
N/A
005
20m Cat
.
1981
Tangalooma
Unknown
[3]
N/A
006
20m Cat
.
1981
Amaroo II
Unknown
[3]
N/A
007
20m Cat
.
1982
Green Islander
Unknown
[3]
N/A
008
20m Cat
.
1982
Quicksilver
Unknown
[3]
N/A
009
29m Cat
.
1982
Spirit of Roylen
Unknown
[3]
N/A
010
21m Cat
.
1983
Trojan
Unknown
[3]
N/A
011
22m Cat
.
1984
Keppel Cat I
Unknown
[3]
N/A
012
??m Cat
.
1983
Thunderbird
Unknown
[3]
N/A
013
9 m Cat
.
1982
Little Devil
Unknown
[3] launched 1984[4]
N/A
014
?? m Cat
.
1984
Pybus Rutherglen Punt
Unknown
[3]
N/A
015
?? m yacht
.
1984
Margaret Rintoul
Unknown
[3]
N/A
016
27m Cat
.
1985
Spirit of Victoria
Unknown
[3]
N/A
017
31m Cat
.
1986
Tassie Devil 2001
Unknown
[3]
N/A
018
23m Cat
.
1987
Starship Genesis
Unknown
[3]
N/A
019
31m Cat
.
1988
2000
Unknown
[3]
020
30m Cat
.
1986
Our Lady Patricia
Wightlink
Scrapped at Marchwood in 2008[5]
021
30m Cat
.
1986
Our Lady Pamela
Wightlink
Scrapped at Esbjerg in 2009[6]
N/A
022
37m Cat
.
1988
Sea Flight
Cruise Whitsundays
[3]
023
74m WPC
3,012 GT
1990
Sea Speed Jet
Sea Jets
The first large, aluminium, vehicle carrying catamaran built by Incat and one of the first in the world. Has operated in 3 continents
024
74m WPC
3,454 GT
1992
Pinar del Río
Baleària
025
74m WPC
3,003 GT
1990
High Speed Jet
Sea Jets
026
74m WPC
3,003 GT
1991
Masterjet
Sea Jets
027
74m WPC
3,003 GT
1992
Golden Blaze
Unknown
Laid up in Piraeus
028
74m WPC
3,003 GT
1992
Cyclades Express
Sea Jets
030
74m WPC
3,241 GT
1993
Hanil Blue Narae
Hanil Express
Formerly known as Condor 10
N/A
031
74m WPC
3,231 GT
1993
Mandarin
Dae-A-Gosok
Refitting at Busan
032
74m WPC
4,994 GT
1993
Atlantic III
Ferrylineas S.A.
033
78m WPC
3,989 GT
1994
Jaume I
Baleària – Bahamas Express
N/A
034
78m WPC
3,989 GT
1995
Fares 2
Maritime Company for Navigation, Saudi Arabia
Formerly Elanora operated by El Salam Maritime
035
78m WPC
3,989 GT
1995
Mega Jet
Sea Jets
The last Incat vessel fitted with a bow door
036
70m K class
1,760 GT
1995
Juan Patricio
Buquebus
N/A
037
78m K class
2,450 GT
.
Sunflower
Dae-A-Gosok, Sth Korea
N/A
NF08
80m K class
2,357 GT
1998
Harmony Flower
H Ferry (DAE-A Express Shipping) Korea.
Built in Panga, China under contract from Incat as part of a plan to build K class vessels there. Only one was built in China
038
81m WPC
4,112 GT
1996
Jaume II
Baleària
N/A
039
.
.
1996
Solar Boat
Incat R&D craft
040
81m WPC
4,113 GT
1996
Orange 1
Dae A Express
Operated under various names in the Irish Sea by Stena Line from 1996 to 2011. Now operates in South Korea
041
81m WPC
4,305 GT
1996
Jaume III
Baleària
042
86m WPC
5,005 GT
1996
Champion Jet 2
Seajets
Named Condor Express from 1997 to 2015 and operated as a Channel Islands ferry by Condor Ferries.
043
86m WPC
5,007 GT
1997
Tarifa Jet
Förde Reederei Seetouristik Iberia
044
86m WPC
5,005 GT
1997
Champion Jet 1
Seajets
Until 2015 owned by Condor Ferries, named Condor Vitesse
045
86m WPC
5,007 GT
1997
Condor Rapide
Condor Ferries
Formerly HMAS Jervis Bay
046
91m WPC
5,617 GT
1997
T&T Express
Government of Trinidad & Tobago
Operates in conjunction with Incat 060
047
91m WPC
5,902 GT
1998
Express
Viking Line
048
91m WPC
5,617 GT
1998
Max Mols
Mols-Linien
049
91m WPC
5,619 GT
1998
Fjord Cat
Fjord Line
050
96m WPC
5,743 GT
1998
Manannan
Isle of Man
Steam Packet Company
Previously HSV-X1 Joint Venture
051
96m WPC
5,528 GT
1999
Bonanza Express
Fred. Olsen Express
052
96m WPC
6,346 GT
1999
Alborán
Acciona Trasmediterránea
053
96m WPC
6,344 GT
1999
Bencomo Express
Fred. Olsen Express
N/A
054
R&D Craft
.
.
Wing
Incat
055
96m WPC
6,344 GT
2000
Bentago Express
Fred. Olsen Express
056
96m WPC
6,360 GT
2000
Volcan de Teno
Naviera Armas
Formerly Highspeed 6 at Hellenic Seaways
057
98m WPC
6,581 GT
2000
Normandie Express
Brittany Ferries
058
98m WPC
6,554 GT
2003
Milenium Dos
Acciona Trasmediterránea
059
98m WPC
6,464 GT
2002
Hai Xia Hao
Fujian Cross Straight Ferry
Operates between Taiwan and China. Formerly ran as The Cat from eastern USA to Canada and Bahamas
060
98m WPC
6,581 GT
2000
T&T Spirit
Government of Trinidad & Tobago
Formerly the US military's USAV Spearhead (TSV-X1). Now operates in conjunction with Incat 046
061
98m WPC
6,581 GT
2003
HSV-2 Swift
United States Navy 2002–2013. In UAE service from 2015. Seajets 2017 -
Major damage to port bow after missile attack off Yemen in 2016. Towed to Greece for repairs. Not operational
N/A
062
98m WPC
6,581 GT
2006
Volcán de Tirajana
Naviera Armas
Formerly Milenium Tres at Acciona Trasmediterránea
N/A
063
17m Cat
.
2006
Sixty Three
17m Project Pty Ltd
064
112m WPC
10,841 GT
2007
Natchan Rera
J & T Shipping Co Ltd Wagon Group
065
112m WPC
10,715 GT
2008
Natchan World
Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry
066
112m WPC
10,503 GT
2009
KatExpress 1
Mols-Linien
Previously Norman Arrow
067
112m WPC
10,503 GT
2013
KatExpress 2
Mols-Linien
068
85m WPC
5,702 GT
2015
Akane
Sado Steam Ship
Connects Sado island in Eastern Japan with the main island of Honshu. Under construction (2013)[7]
069
99m WPC
7,109 GT
2013
Francisco
Buquebus
Fastest ship in the world
N/A
070
17m
.
2016
Gwenhyfar
Privately owned
Cruising ketch[8]
N/A
071
N/A
.
2011
The Barge
Tas Marine Constructions
N/A
072
15m
.
2011
Lindoy
Stava Bat &
Dykkerservice
Delivered to Norway 16 November 2011[9]
073
34m
.
2015
MR-1 or Mona Roma
Navigators / Secheron Holdings for Museum of Old and New Art
Delivered 9 February 2015.[10] Operates on Derwent River, Hobart
N/A
074
70m FCB
1,439 GT
2015
Muslim Magomayev
Caspian Marine Services
Launched 2014, named after Muslim Magomayev[11][12]
075
35m
155 GT
2015
Galaxy Clipper
MBNA Thames Clippers
Entered service October 2015[13]
076
35m
155 GT
2015
Neptune Clipper
MBNA Thames Clippers
Entered service October 2015[13] Article on Thames Clippers Hunt Class catamarans.
077
.
2014
Brooke Street Pier
Brooke Street Pier Development Corporation
Pier, completed November 2014[14] Displacement 4,200 tons (not Gross Tonnage)
N/A
078
24m
.
2015
Ocean Tracker
Manly Fast Ferries
Entered service 23 December 2015[15]
N/A
079
24m
.
2015
Ocean Wave
Manly Fast Ferries
Entered service 23 December 2015[15]
N/A
080
33m
.
2016
Ocean Surfer
Manly Fast Ferries
Entered service March 2016[16]
081
33m
.
2016
Ocean Flyer
Manly Fast Ferries
Entered service March 2016[16]
082
35m
.
2016
Catherine Hamlin
Sydney Ferries
In service[17]
083
35m
.
2017
Fred Hollows
Sydney Ferries
Entered service 26 June 2017[18]
084
35m
.
2017
Victor Chang
Sydney Ferries
In service[19]
085
35m
.
2017
Pemulwuy
Sydney Ferries
In service[20]
086
35m
.
2017
Bungaree
Sydney Ferries
In service[21]
087
35m
.
2017
May Gibbs
Sydney Ferries
Entered service December 2017 as Emerald 6, renamed January 2018[22]
088
109m WPC
10,842 GT
2017
KatExpress 3
Molslinjen
Entered service June 2017. 1,000 pass, 417 cars.[23]
089
110m WPC
9,044 GT
2018
St John Paul II
Virtu Ferries
For service in Malta, due to commence operations in March 2019.[24]
090
35m WPC
.
2017
Bellarine Express
Port Phillip Ferries
405 passengers. In service on Port Phillip between Melbourne Docklands and Portarlington[25]
091
111m WPC
10,870 GT
2019
Volcán de Tagoro
Naviera Armas
35 knots cruising speed. 1,1184 passengers, 390 cars, 595 lane metres of ro-ro cargo. Cost €74 million[26]
N/A
092
33m WPC
.
2018
Ocean Adventurer
Manly Fast Ferries
Operates on Port Jackson, Sydney. seats 400[27]
N/A
093
111m WPC
.
.
Undisclosed in Europe.[26]
.
N/A
094
100m WPC
.
.
Buccoo Reef
Government of Trinidad and Tobago
To operate between Port of Spain and Scarborough.[28]
N/A
095
35m WPC
2019
Geelong Flyer
Port Phillip Ferries
Operates between Melbourne & Geelong complementing the earlier Melbourne to Portalington service.[29]
N/A
096
130m WPC
13,000 GT
Buquebus
Will be the world's largest aluminium ship. 226 cars, 2,100 passengers in four classes with a full deck for cafes, restaurants, shops, etc. To operate between Argentina and Uruguay.[30]
N/A
097
76 metres
3000+ GT
2022
.
Seaworld Express Ferry
To operate between Jindo and Jeju in South Korea. 700 pax and crew, 79 cars. Media release.
Image
Hull No.
Length / Class
Gross Tonnage
Delivered
Latest name
Operator
Notes

In the Length / Class field of the table WPC means the vessel is a Wave Piercing Catamaran. The three K Class vessels were a low profile design without the wave piercing bows and the capacity to carry fewer cars than traditional Incat designs.

In the competitive ferry industry, ships often change operators, especially in Europe. Other ferries have alternated between summer service in the northern and southern hemispheres every six months. Some Incat vessels of the 1990s have been operated by up to six shipping companies with regular name changes.

Gross Tonnage is a measure of a ship's enclosed volume rather than its weight or displacement, so similar ships can have differing Gross Tonnages due to factors such as if a viewing platform is fully enclosed or open to the weather.

References

  1. Offshore Solutions Incat
  2. http://www.incat.com.au/concept-vessels.html
  3. "Earlier Vessels". Incat. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  4. "History". Incat. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  5. "M/S OUR LADY PATRICIA (1986)". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  6. "M/S OUR LADY PAMELA (1986)". Fakta om Fartyg. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  7. "85 Metre Wave Piercing Catamaran". Incat. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  8. http://www.incat.com.au/gwenhwyfar-(070).html
  9. http://www.incat.com.au/lindoy-(072).html
  10. http://www.incat.com.au/mr-1-(073).html
  11. "70 Metre Fast Crew Boat". Incat. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  12. David Beniuk (14 September 2014). "Oil-industry cat a crooner's cruiser as Incat's Muslim Magomayev heads to Azerbaijan's Caspian oilfields". Mercury.
  13. Incat Builds Arrive in London in Style Sea Breezes 7 December 2015
  14. $12 million floating waterfront masterpiece takes shape The Mercury 24 May 2014
  15. New Manly fast ferries opened to public without Opal card access ABC News 29 December 2015
  16. 4 Brand New Boats Manly Fast Ferry 18 March 2016
  17. Aussie doctor lends her name to newest ferry Transport for New South Wales 15 November 2016
  18. Incat ferries bound for Denmark & Sydney Harbour The Mercury 21 April 2017
  19. Victor Chang joins Sydney's ferry fleet Transport for New South Wales 18 August 2017
  20. Pemulwuy arrives in Sydney Transport for New South Wales 30 August 2017
  21. New ferries to cater for population boom along Parramatta River Sydney Morning Herald 2 October 2017
  22. Ferry McFerryface wasn't public pick for new ferry name until Andrew Constance's captain's pick Daily Telegraph 30 January 2018
  23. Incat Builds New Ferry for Denmark Ships Monthly 29 April 2016
  24. "Virtu's new catamaran will be among the world's largest". Times of Malta. 8 January 2019. Archived from the original on 28 January 2019.
  25. http://www.incat.com.au/28112017.html
  26. Incat Insider newsletter, issue 049 Incat
  27. My Fast Ferry Launched at Incat Incat 10 July 2018
  28. https://www.incat.com.au/incat-vessels/094/
  29. https://www.incat.com.au/incat-vessels/hull-095/
  30. https://www.incat.com.au/incat-vessels/096/
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